The Tigers have been a fixture in the Amway preseason rankings, staring the last five seasons at No. 14, No. 8, No. 16 and No. 12 in the survey. All told, Clemson has been ranked in 79 of the 83 coaches’ polls released since the beginning of the 2011 season.

The University of South Carolina – which was a fixture in the national football rankings from 2010-13 – was unranked in the preseason coaches’ poll for the second consecutive year. The Gamecocks are kicking off their first season under new head coach Will Muschamp– hoping to improve on a disastrous 3-9 campaign in 2015.

South Carolina’s 2016 schedule includes dates against No. 10 Tennessee (home – October 29), No. 16 Georgia (home – October 8) and No. 25 Florida (away – November 12) – in addition to its regular-season finale against the second-ranked Tigers.